We've all seen them, we've all probably have used them at one time or another.  If you've gotten this far odds are that you have a stack of them lying around. You've decided you don't want them and probably already tried to donate them or give them to people that come by and pick up used stuff.  They wouldn't take them! You just don't want to throw them away as they suggested.  YES, these old magazines have value in several different ways!

  In listing any item it's always good to have a general idea of who wants them.

  What to include in order of importance as from my experience with listing National Geographic Magazines (journals).  It costs more in fees and labor as you add a step.   The most cost effective way of listing these depends on you as seller and what your importance of listing them is.  Why do you want to sell them?  To get some money, to provide a valuable service to the community of increasing and diffusing geographical knowledge, for fun, et cetera.  As a seller you should have your own goal for listing these.

TO SELL BY A BULK LOT:

1) List all that you have in one auction. You will need a list of all that you have.

2) List a group by decades.  For example 1 auction for the 1970's.  Another for 1980's.  It's recommended that you still have list of all that you have.

3) List a group by year.  You will still need a list of all of the months included.

4) Sell all of your supplemental maps in one listing.  You will still need a list of everything you have.  Either their titles or Month and Year or both.

 

TO SELL BY MONTH:

1. The month and the year in the title and in the item specifics!  Make sure you have the full month typed out in the title and the year.  For example, try not to abbreviate AUG, but use AUGUST.  AND use the item specifics.  If listing in the Magazines Back Issues Category, the item specifics under News, General Interest and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC as a selection.
2. Does it include a supplemental map?  If so list the titles, most are two sided. 
3. Make your listing available worldwide and know the general shipping costs and risks involved with this.
4. The condition of the magazine, the supplemental map, and the cover.  Are all of the pages there?
5. Include the Spine Words from the magazine. Also some in the title, if you do relistings, rotate the spine word in the title.
6. Include the Table of Contents Titles (also sometimes listed on the front cover). 
7. Is it a mailed copy and/or a newsstand copy?  Newsstand copies typically have a bar code on them, but that's not always the case.
8. Some of the key advertisements included.
9. The market area covered - this usually effects the advertisements that are in the issue.
10. Not to confuse you, but sometimes the Table of Contents Titles are not the Full Titles of the Articles or Reports.  This is time consuming, but if you are doing this try to include the authors and photographers name.   For newer issues, within the last 10, there is a website that has archives starting with the July 1996 issue.
11. Write a summary of the articles or include their summary.  WARNING! This is labor intensive and you might get stuck reading the whole magazine.
12. At auction they don't always sell high but occasionally there's a refreshing bid war.  I've had a good personal experience with listing these as store items.  With them augmenting my other items in other categories.
13. When shipping I use put the magazine in a plastic bag that still has air to breath, add a packing slip and insert into a #2 bubble or padded mailer for heavier books.  I usually mail via usps media mail (or bound printed matter for those with advertisements in them) with an option to upgrade to priority mail.  There are some buyers who need it fast.
14. Item Specifics: Books - Magazine Back Issues: The Issue Type is Monthly.  The Subject is News, General Interest.  The Publication Name is  National Geographic Magazine. 

 

My experienced Side Effects from listing National Geographic journals by Month:

1) After typing in for several days a bunch from the mid 1970's I went to a family dinner.  I didn't realize it but a lot of the conversations during the evening were about events that happened in the 1970's.  Fortunately, that was quite popular.

2) Once in a while somebody will ask me about a specific page or article.  I end up reading the whole magazine.

3) While casually entering in one, I remember it from when I was in school. - ahh the nostalgia

 

Who buys these? 

My original perception was that collector's may want these.  However I was shocked to find out that collectors usually want the hardbound books.  Here's my priority list from my perception and experience:

1)  People who are just interested in the article or a specific subject.

2)  Birthday gifts for somebody by month and year.

3)  University, College, High School Students, Home Schoolers and Teachers doing additional background research.

4)  English as a Second language.  I've shipped a couple overseas.  This has been for subject matter and also just because the buyer is trying to learn english.

4)  Somebody who is in the issue or knows somebody's third cousin removed sister that met somebody who's brother was in the article.

5)  Occassionally a collector completing a set or subscriber's looking for a replacement copy.  Collector's typically collect the hardbound books.